Does Your Workplace Have a Dress Code

​The shift away from formal business attire in a lot of workplaces over the past decade or so has made a big difference to the culture inside certain companies. It has also changed the way we tend to envisage people who work in certain roles and industries. Dress codes still do very much have a place, but whether or not they are in place, how strict they are, and whether they apply to all roles is now a question each new business has to consider when they are looking at what they want their corporate culture to be like. How people dress within a business can also be a part of a company’s brand, and this can be the case even when uniforms aren’t worn.

Here are some of the ways that clothing and dress codes can have an impact on businesses and workplace environments:​

Uniforms – Consistency and Brand RecognitionNaturally, the strictest kind of dress code is when there is a uniform that all staff, or all staff in certain roles, must wear. This is something that is seen mostly in public-facing jobs, as well as in jobs where clothing indicates authority and rank, such as on ships or on airlines, in the military, and in public service.​In a customer-facing environment, a uniform fulfills a number of practical roles. In retail or hospitality, a uniform can help people in a store or restaurant easily recognize who works there when they want assistance. Different uniforms can also help people to identify when someone works in the department they need or is a manager.

Not all retailers have uniforms, however, and it can be quite common in fashion retail for staff to dress in clothing that the store sells rather than in uniforms, as a means of providing additional advertising by showing shoppers examples of how different pieces look together and showing them on all different real people rather than mannequins. In this case, name tags are used to make staff obvious to customers. This may not class as a uniform because not all staff wear the same thing, but it is as strict as a uniform in the sense that staff may only wear things that are on sale in the shop they work in.

Other customer-facing roles where you often see uniforms are those where people go to clients’ houses or work in public places. In this case, the uniform not only serves as branding but also gives the worker a sense of being official and trustworthy. This can be something like the branded shirts and jackets worn by people who work for utility companies and visit people’s homes, or the Patches4Less custom name patches worn on practical things like boiler suits by people like plumbers and auto mechanics. It can also apply to people who work in face to face sales or promotional roles, where they may be promoting on the street, at events or in malls, and need to be visibly aligned with the company they work for.Intentionally Relaxed Dress CodesOn the other hand, there are the most relaxed dress codes of all, where there really isn’t any form of policy or the policy merely restricts people from wearing anything other people might find offensive. In some companies, this is because it simply doesn’t matter what the people doing those jobs look like at all because nobody on the customer side ever sees them, and so the choice is made that they should be able to wear whatever they want.

In other companies, however, the relaxed dress code is part of the branding itself. This creates a strange situation for people (and they do exist!) who actually prefer to dress in business attire for work because this can feel out of place or even be frowned upon. This is most common in companies that want their brands to be perceived as creative, young, and innovative, for instance, some tech companies, media and advertising agencies, and design firms. In these companies, it can even be expected that candidates at an interview dress down and that people dress down for formal meetings. This can be something some professionals like about working for these kinds of businesses. However, it can also present more ‘what shall I wear today’ dilemmas than simply putting on business attire every day, and some people do feel like they are judged on what they wear despite the lack of dress code. For example, if the company seems to want a certain image, such as being very fashionable or ‘looking creative’.​Business and Business Casual Dress CodesFull formal business attire, such as three-piece suits and ties, are still the preserve of some industries, such as law, finance, and many more traditional sales roles. However, formal business-wear these days is usually more associated with people in very senior or client-facing roles, and most office workers who have dress codes now have the slightly vague term ‘business casual’ to work with. This means smart clothing that doesn’t have to involve all the formal trimmings but can differ between companies. For some businesses, men can wear a shirt without a tie or a more casual garment like a polo shirt, whereas in others, it just means they don’t have to wear a full suit, but a long-sleeved shirt and tie are still expected.

Smart casual or business casual dress codes tend to be more flexible for women, with dresses, pantsuits and all kinds of different tops and pants or skirts acceptable, but for both genders, denim, t-shirts and any kind of sports or leisure wear is considered unacceptable.

Business casual dress codes are usually applied even to people who don’t ever see customers or clients and are used to create an office culture that feels professional. Some companies also have occasional dress down days or a policy of dressing down on Fridays as a kind of motivator, to give the working environment a different feel on certain days and boost morale.Does your workplace have a dress code, and if so, have you ever really thought about why it was chosen or what your company is trying to say about its brand via the dress code? Let us know in the comments!